Androgenic Side Effects

Anadrol carries with it some strong androgenic related side effects despite its rather low androgenicity.

The androgenic side effects of Anadrol can include acne, accelerated hair loss in those predisposed to male pattern baldness and body hair growth. These are widely considered to be genetically based side effects.

Many who supplement do not report a problem with acne or other androgenic side effects, but those who are genetically sensitive may find they have an issue.

It should also be noted—5-alpha reductase inhibitors will not affect this steroid’s androgenicity. It is the 5-alpha-reductase enzyme that causes testosterone to reduce to DHT, but in this case Oxymetholone is already a DHT compound so inhibiting this conversion process will have no effect.

The androgenic nature of Anadrol causes this steroid to be a poor choice for women.

The use of Oxymetholone will lead to severe virilization symptoms such as body hair growth, a deepening of the vocal chords and clitoral enlargement.

Many often find it to also have a reducing effect on breast size and a negative effect on menstrual regularity. These effects are explored in greater detail in the section on Anadrol and women.

While it is commonly held that women can safely supplement with some anabolic steroids, this is not one of them. Women are usually recommended to choose steroids with a weakened androgenic nature.

Estrogenic Side Effects

The Oxymetholone hormone does not aromatize. That means it will not convert to estrogen by the aromatase enzyme.

Further, it is not a progestin and carries no progesterone nature. Despite this, it remains highly estrogenic.

How or why it is so estrogenic is not entirely understood by researchers and bodybuilders. One theory is that Oxymetholone can activate the estrogen receptors to a stronger degree than many other steroids.

Due to the estrogenic nature of Anadrol, gynecomastia can be a real concern as can excess water retention.

In order to protect from gynecomastia, users are often cycle an anti-estrogen medication. Anti-estrogens will also have a positive effect on water retention, but not all of them will work.

The common anti-estrogens used by performance athletes include Selective Estrogen Receptor Modulators (SERMs) like Tamoxifen Citrate (Nolvadex) and Aromatase Inhibitors (AIs) like Anastrozole (Arimidex).

AIs are regarded to be the most effective at controlling estrogen as they inhibit aromatization and lower the body’s estrogen levels. SERMs do not inhibit or lower estrogen, but attach to the receptors to block estrogen.

In this case, no aromatization is going on so there is nothing for an AI to inhibit. To counteract estrogenic side effects of Anadrol, physique builders are left with SERMs as their only option.

Frequent Urination & Bladder Cramping

Anadrol is known to increase water retention, meaning that your body holds onto more water. It can also cause you to drink more water, which means you need to urinate more frequently.

In some cases, this can lead to Bladder Cramping and the feeling of needing to urinate frequently.

These are sudden and severe muscle type spasms that happen in the bladder area of your body. The need to go is sudden and creates a involuntary squeezing of your bladder muscles creating an urgent need to urinate unexpectedly.

Hair loss

This is a somewhat indirect Anadrol side effect men can experience if male baldness runs in their family. Anadrol and other types of steroids speed up the process because of the high levels of DHT found in the body.

This is only a side effect for men that are prone to baldness. So again this side effect can happen only under those terms.

How Does Anadrol Cause Hair Loss?

Why does Anadrol cause hair loss in some people who take this steroid? Hair loss is caused by excess of an androgenic hormone known as dihydrotestosterone (DHT).

Anadrol, being a derivative of this hormone, is one of the anabolic steroids that are associated with male pattern hair loss.

DHT binds to androgenic receptors on hair follicles resulting in inflammation, alteration in the hair growth cycle (shortening of the anagen while the tologen is lengthened or remain the same) and miniaturization of the hair follicles.

Terminal hair is gradually converted to vellus hair with eventual hair loss. In other words, the follicles are no longer able to produce hair.

Is the Balding and Hair Loss Permanent or will it grow back when you stop taking Anadrol?

With miniaturization of the primary hair follicles, subtle inflammation, loss of attachment of the arrector pili muscles to the hair follicles, anadrol-induced hair loss is only partially reversible.

When this condition is detected early, before the detachment of arrector pili muscles from the hair follicles, and the offending medication is withdrawn, hair may grow back with appropriate treatment.

Will all male and female bodybuilders experience premature hair loss when using an Anadrol/Oxymetholone cycle?

No; hair loss following anadrol administration is a type of male pattern baldness which is determined largely by genetic predisposition. Race and family history of male pattern baldness also play significant role.

In fact, normal levels of DHT present in the body without anabolic steroid use are usually sufficient to cause hair loss in this group of individuals.

People without the genetic predisposition for male pattern hair loss may not develop baldness with the use of Anadrol 50mg pills. This medication majorly serves as a precipitating factor for those with genetic predisposition.

How can you prevent hair loss while taking Anadrol and other anabolic androgenic steroids? The major drugs for prevention of hair loss while taking anabolic steroid are finasteride and dutasteride.

Finasteride, a 5-alpha reductase inhibitor will however not be appropriate in the case of anadrol as the drug is not a substrate for this enzyme.

Another way of preventing hair loss is not to use anadrol for a long cycle. The drug should be used for a short period of time like 2 weeks followed by a period of rest.

Topical antifungals such as ketoconazole shampoo have been found to reduce the scalp concentration of DHT.

RU58841 is another experimental drug that can be used topically to prevent binding of DHT to receptors on the hair follicle. It is however not approved by the FDA.

Heart Health

Increasing the risk of heart diseases such as arteriosclerosis or coronary artery disease as well as rapid heart beating all increase as a side effect when not just using Anadrol but over using it.

Your levels of cholesterol change and your good (HDL) goes down while your bad (LDL) rises.

These changes in your cholesterol effect your heart directly making you more susceptible to heart problems later. As a rule, steroids fight inflammation which can increase the risk of developing heart related diseases like high blood pressure, diabetes and more.

Anadrol and Your Liver

Internal organs are serious and potential damage as a result of using any medication must be made aware of.

Anadrol side effects could affect the liver developing into a life threatening situation.

Excessive uses creates a condition called peliosis hepatis. This is the development of cysts forming in the liver.

These cysts could make your liver fail and stop functioning. To minimize the damage to the liver make sure you don’t drink alcohol or other substances that are hard on the liver while on a Liquid Anadrol cycle.

Bodybuilding

When a bodybuilder takes Anadrol the performance and muscle enhancement is quite impressive. Since Anadrol is a anabolic steroid that means it has a similar effect to the testosterone hormone making it ideal for men.

Steroids like Anadrol block the body’s natural ability to break down muscle and instead allows you get build up muscle cells which makes them bigger. Anadrol steroid improves blood circulation and speeds up metabolism to deliver more endurance and stamina.

It has truly made bodybuilding easier and more attractive. This makes it difficult to embrace other potential side effects.

Effects on Genitals

Anadrol side effects decrease depending on how well the male testicles function. This also includes sperm count, lower fluid during ejaculation and possible impotence. Some men have experienced pro-longed painful erections.

Rage

Often associated with the use of steroids, Anadrol users also experience sudden anger that is uncontrolled and shows signs of frustration. Just like other medications the side effects vary from person to person.

Oxymetholone & Acne

Oxymetholone provides a wide range of very serious side-effects to users, including acne, which is often very severe.

But why does Oxymetholone cause acne in the first place? People often think that Anadrol aromatizes very easily, which would mean that, once in the body, it would be converted into Estrogen.

This is not true however, but what Anadrol does do, is stimulate Estrogen receptors, which has a very similar effect – an increase in Estrogen.

Estrogen is the dominant female sexual hormone and is the female equivalent to Testosterone. Like women have small amounts of Testosterone in their bodies, males also happen to have low levels of Estrogen in their bodies, which in low amounts, is fine.

The problem however, arises when the steroid causes Estrogen levels to rise in the body, while simultaneously reducing the levels of androgens.

In the body, as testosterone levels increase, both through steroid use and because Testosterone is often stacked with steroids, the body attempts to keep everything balanced through homeostasis.

Here, to try to reduce Test levels, Estrogen receptors are stimulated, causing an increase in this hormone. An increase in Estrogen thereby causes severe acne, both on the face and on the body, as well as other unpleasant side effects like gynecomastia, which is where males grow breast tissue.

As Oxymetholone is extremely androgenic, this means that the chances of suffering with severe acne are increased significantly.

How can you prevent acne caused by Oxymetholone?

If you do insist on taking Oxymetholone (Anadrol) first off, you must accept the fact that you are taking a big risk.

There will always be a significant chance that you will suffer with acne, as well as other unpleasant side effects. However, there are things you can do to potentially prevent acne, or at the very least, help keep it under control. These include the following:

Regularly washing your skin – One very effective way of preventing Acne with Oxymetholone, and indeed, with any other anabolic steroid, is by regularly washing your skin, I.E at least twice a day.

Washing the skin will get rid of excess skin oils and impurities that could clog your pores and cause acne breakouts. Use a mild facial cleanser and make sure you use fairly cool water, as hot water will cause you to sweat, which has been known to stimulate acne breakouts.

Use water-based cleansers – Next, after washing yourself, use water-based cleansers, making sure to avoid ones that happen to be oil-based. Oil-based cleansers will again cause blockages and build-ups in your pores, which again, could result in acne.

Use zinc supplements – There is also evidence to suggest that zinc could help to prevent, or at least, control, acne breakouts, so consider supplementing with zinc, as it will also help regulate your hormones.

Use medicated salicylic acid cleansers – If you’re worried your acne could be more serious, a medicated salicylic acid cleanser could be ideal. It is worth noting that they are harsh on the skin, so if you suffer with sensitive skin, you may wish to give them a miss.

Antibiotics – Finally, if you have a severe case of acne due to Oxymetholone use, a visit to your doctor may be called for. Your doctor could then prescribe you with antibiotics which will destroy harmful bacteria living in your pores and causing your acne breakouts.

Drug Interactions with Anadrol

Anadrol may interact with the following drugs:

Acenocoumarol

Albiglutide

Alogliptin

Canagliflozin

Chlorpropamide

Cilostazol

Conestat alfa

Dapagliflozin

Dicoumarol

Disopyramide

Dulaglutide

Empagliflozin

Fesoterodine

Gliclazide

Glimepiride

Glipizide

Glyburide

Human C1-esterase inhibitor

Insulin Aspart

Insulin Detemir

Insulin Glargine

Insulin Glulisine

Insulin Lispro

Lanreotide

Liraglutide

Metformin

Miglitol

Pasireotide

Pentamidine

Phenindione

Phenprocoumon

Quinine

Saxagliptin

Sulfamethoxazole

Tolazamide

Tolbutamide

Warfarin

Fluid retention is a major issue with use of Anadrol Oxymetholone. The following drugs may also interact with Anadrol, particularly by increasing water retention:

Expected Results

Another emotion that has the potential to develop is depression. This is because Anadrol and other steroids interfere with the brain’s ability to make serotonin which is a substance the body produces to create a sense of well being.

Because the body is unable to make the serotonin it leads to increasing the rate of aggression or depression and this is often permanent.

Anadrol for women

Female bodybuilders who use steroids like Anadrol can experience signs of masculinity. A red flag women should recognize is that these changes are often irreversible. Seek professional medical attention if you experience serious Anadrol side effects from using Anadrol.

If bodybuilding is something you love to do and you plan on using Anadrol, whether it be injectable Anadrol or liquid Anadrol, please make sure you use it responsibly.

This product can be bought without a prescription and used by bodybuilders that are not competing because it is banned.

Breast tenderness occurs for both male and female users. This can be quite severe and painful. Some have even experienced enlarged breast.

Other Anadrol side effects pictures show acne on the skin and water retention that develops lots of swelling in the ankles and feet. You may want to review the differences between Anadrol and Dianabol before taking though to see which one is best for you.

1 Comment

Thanks so much for putting this list together.
It’s easy to forgo this info when you want to bulk up, whether for competing or for self-esteem, etc.

Depression is a side effect no one gives enough thought to. Same thing with rage.
What good is it to like your body when you feel terrible inside?

We also live in a world where now, more than ever, people are taking medication for some reason or another, so kudos to you for listing the possible contraindications with mixing steroids with these meds.